Southern Comfort
by Katyra Reguba
Summary: Over the years, Logan has always been there for Marie when she needed it. But what happens when he needs her?
1. Chapter 1

Southern Comfort

Southern Comfort

**Hello my dear Reader, and thank you for taking time out to read my little story. This is my first fan-fic, and I'm anxious to know how I've done. So please let me know what you think.**

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_Why the hell can't Ah sleep?!_ Rogue growled softly in her head, knowing anything verbal would wake her two temperamental roommates. She'd learned that last time she hadn't been able to sleep. Jubilee threatened to ban her from the room for a month if she ever pulled that again. And so the young mutant lay silently fuming, rolling over to look at the alarm clock on the nightstand. 3:37 glared back, laughing at her inability to sleep. _Well, Ah've tried everythang else, might as well see if some warm milk will help._

Managing to escape her room without disturbing Jubes and Kitty, she had almost reached the kitchen when something caught her attention. Cigar smoke, despite the fact that smoking was against the mansion's rules. Such blatant disregard could only mean one thing. Logan was home. Following the scent she walked into the sunroom, stopping to allow her eyes to adjust. It had been some time since Liberty Island, and yet she still possessed some of his abilities. His heightened senses being foremost, followed by his 'devil-may-care' attitude. She walked in and sat beside him, moving slowly so she wouldn't startle him. It was never a good thing to surprise the Wolverine; she'd learned that one from experience.

"Nice ta have ya home sugah." Rogue drawled with a grin.

A minute ticked by with no response. No 'hey kid' or 'shouldn't you be in bed?' Nothing; like she wasn't even there. There were no lights on down here; he'd always complained that they hurt his eyes. But the giant bay window between the bookcases let in enough light to see him. In a moment she realized something was very wrong.

His eyes were hooded and bloodshot, but it wasn't from the cigar, or the half-empty bottle of whisky that dangled from his fingers. Logan usually looked scruffy, that was his thing, but now…it looked as if he hadn't slept, bathed, or eaten in weeks. "Logan?" She asked, now touching his arm. The mutant beside her jumped, as if finally realizing she was there.

"Hey kid, shouldn't you be in bed?" He asked, giving her a slight grin.

"Couldn't sleep, damn nightmares."

"Mine?" Worried now that he'd disrupted her life yet again.

"No, don't worry. This time it was one of mine." Rogue assured him.

"So what's wrong?"

"Nothin'" He lied quickly, not meeting her eyes.

The young mutant sighed, not believing him. "Logan, don't give me that. Ah know better. Ya don't sit in the dark at three a.m. with a bottle of whisky unless somethangs wrong." He didn't say anything, not wanting her to know what he'd done. "You've been in mah head for over a year sugah, there ain't a whole lot Ah ain't seen." Still he didn't say anything, so she tried a different tactic.

Reaching up slowly Rogue ran her fingers through his hair, gently scratching his scalp. This was their little secret, something no one else knew, not even the Professor. It was the one thing that could calm the Wolverine, not matter how berserk he was. He visibly relaxed, eyelids drifting closed as she continued. She leaned over and took the bottle from him, placing it on the table in front of them. It would only be a few more moments before he told her what had happened.

Logan loved and hated that she was the only one who could calm him like this, no matter what. Being his friend usually shortened your life by a considerable amount, and she knew that. But still she stayed anyway, not caring what everyone thought. And soon enough, he spoke. "I was followin' a lead Chuck gave me about a new Weapon X facility down in Mexico. They was just settin' up when I got there, Chuck's info was up ta date for once. Course they tried ta capture me, so I did what I do best. Went berserk and cleaned the place out. Few captives they hadn't got to helped out, mostly makin sure the place was trashed. Got every bastard in there… all except the head rat. So I went huntin', figured he'd still be there, gloatin over his success. Guess I missed the memo 'bout 'bring your family to work day'…wife and three kids, hadn't done anything…" he didn't finish, didn't have to. Rogue remained silent, there was nothing to say. So she continued scratching, hoping to relax him some more.

After a few moments she spoke up. "Can…can I see them?" She asked, looking at his hands. Logan jumped again, but this time for a different reason. No one had ever, _ever_, asked him to see his claws. Because despite their words, they were still afraid of him, afraid of what he could do. Even the Wolverine in his head, who was pissed that he was depressed about at good hunt, stopped growling at her request. He sat there thinking it over before making a decision. Slowly he extended a claw from his right hand, watching the moonlight play across its metallic surface. As he did Rogue removed her hand from his hair, inching towards the blade. She glanced at the man beside her, making sure it was okay. He nodded, knowing what she wanted "Just don't cut yerself." Taking his hand Marie pulled it into her lap, hesitantly touching the claw, making sure to stay away from the edge and only stroke the flat. Logan had gone ridged at her touch, not moving lest he hurt her. As she examined his claw, he studied her, thanking who ever was up there listening that she'd come into his life. Marie was the only one who could keep him sane, keep him human, and above all keep the Wolverine at bay.

Suddenly he retracted the claw, before pulling her into his lap and burying his face in her neck. She had jumped at his actions, thankful she'd gained control over her skin. Once more her hands found their way into his hair as the sobs shook him. Morning would find them curled up together under a blanket, and before breakfast the rumours would start flying, spread by student and teacher alike. Though the teachers would deny anything, and attempt to stop them. But Rogue didn't care what anyone thought of her, Logan was ready to bust some heads and make everyone stop. As long as she and Logan were still friends, the rest of the mansion could go to hell for she cared.

**Please let me know what you think. Even flames are welcome. **

**Thanks for reading!  
Katyra **


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note:A big thank you to everyone who reviewed the first chapter of this. Sorry for it being so late, the coffee shop where my muse and I meet closed down for awhile, and we never could find another place.**

Rogue's lack of interest in the rumors quelled some of them, but there were still people in the mansion who keep the lies going. The intensity however had increased drastically. There were even those who said that she was pregnant, and that was the reason the Wolverine had left. In reality Logan had left in search of his past, but no one knew that. They all assumed he had left because of Marie. Usually this wouldn't have been bad; after all, Rogue had known why he was leaving. But missing him combined with the constant taunting from her classmates had become too much for the young mutant.

Her days now consisted of going to class before hiding out in Logan's room for the remainder of the day. During his absence she'd even taken to sleeping in there. Her roommates Jubilee and Kitty understood what she was going through, and said nothing about it to the teachers. After another hellish day Rogue collapsed onto Logan's bed, deliberating whether to finish up her homework or go ahead and go to sleep. One internal debate later and the young woman was headed for a long bath. That was another perk of borrowing Logan's room; teachers didn't have to share bathrooms. As soon as the tub was full she climbed in, sighing as the warm water soothed her tired body. Letting her mind drift, the young woman relaxed, finally able to let her guard down for a few moments.

All too soon it was over, the water having turned tepid during her daydreams. Groaning slightly at the movement Rogue climbed out, hurriedly drying off and dressing to keep the colder air at bay. The alarum clock on the nightstand only read 9:30, but Marie was ready for bed, fully relaxed by the warm bath. She couldn't even remember what had upset her in the first place. Turning off the lights she crawled into Logan's huge bed, curling into a ball in the middle, surrounded by pillows on all sides. To anyone entering the room it would seem as if only a mound of pillows occupied the bed, and nothing more.

The clock on the nightstand read 2:30 a.m. when another person entered the room. Logan had been out on the road for almost two months now and desperately wanted his own bed to sleep in. Not that he'd admit it to anyone, but he had actually missed this place. Missed having a room to come back to, and people who cared about him. Well, maybe Cyclops hadn't missed him, but he was sure Marie had. When the Professor had first told him about this lead, he didn't want to go. It had been right after their discussion in the sunroom, and Logan knew what everyone was saying about them. At the time she had acted like she didn't care, but he saw right through that lie. But, she told him to go, saying she would be okay without him.

Closing the door to his room, he now noticed that something was different about it. Between the moonlight shining in from the window and his own heightened senses, the feral could make out the shape of something in the middle of his bed. Quietly he placed his bag on the floor, not wanting to scare whoever it was…yet. Approaching the bed, _his_ bed, he growled, figuring it would be enough to scare what ever couple had decided it was a good idea to use his room for their fun.

"Jubilee, ya got two minutes ta get the hell outta here 'fore Ah hurt ya." The mound returned, with a growl to match his for good measure. Logan chuckled, now realizing who had been brave enough to commandeer his bed. Nudging the heap again, he had to duck as one of the pillows detached its self from the rest and went flying by his head. "Jubilee, Ah'm warnin' ya." Rogue growled again, not wanting to get up and hoping the threat would work. There was no reason to get up, it was Saturday and they didn't have anything to do, not even their defense classes. Which sucked now that Scott had taken over while Logan was gone.

Once more her fort was disturbed and by now the young mutant was totally awake, and thoroughly pissed off. Throwing back the blankets, she sat up, ready to pound whoever had awoken her. "Jubilee, Ah warned ya…" Her rant stopped however upon seeing who was bothering her. "Logan!" Rogue cried, launching herself at her friend.

"Hey kid" he grinned, easily catching her and returning her embrace. "What are you doing in here?"

Rogue let go at his question, sinking back down onto the bed. "Uh, Jubilee and Kitty were discussing their shopping strategy for this afternoon, and I needed a place to study. It was just for tonight, I promise." She lied quickly, not meeting his eyes.

The feral mutant sighed, not believing her. "Really? Cause it smells like you've been here for more than tonight. In fact" he took a deep breath, fully investigating the room around them. "it smells like you've been living here for over two weeks. Now, you wanna tell me the truth?" He asked gently, watching her as he sat down.

"You remember the stories kids were tellin' about us after that night in the sunroom? Well, they've gotten worse."

The Wolverine growled softly, aching to know who had been messin' with his Marie. Noticing she'd gotten quiet, he asked "what kinda stuff are they sayin'?"

Again she tried to put on a brave face "oh, nothing really. Just some stuff about us and why you left and oneguyevensaidIwaspregnant." Rogue finished in a rush, hoping he hadn't caught the last part.

"WHAT?" Logan roared, claws unsheathing in his fury.

"Logan calm down!" Marie grabbed his wrists, now sitting in his lap so he would look at her. "It doesn't matter, he's a jerk and anyway nobody believes him."

"It does matter Marie, they shouldn't be sayin' shit like that about ya, 'specially when it ain't true." Having calmed down enough he sheathed his claws, though he was still angry. "Didn't Chuck do anything about it?"

"He talked to the guy, but really there's not much he can do." She shrugged, wanting to drop the subject.

"So that's why you've been staying in here?" A nod this time from the girl, though she didn't meet his eyes.

"Yeah, but since you're back I'll move back into my room." Standing she moved to gather her things, but a hand on her wrist stopped her.

"I know it ain't gonna do much about them stories, but you're welcome to stay here for as long as you want." Glancing at the clock he grinned slightly "'sides, I don't think that yellow one will like ya movin' back in at three in tha mornin'.

Rogue laughed, knowing he was right. "Thank you Logan." She said, once more sliding underneath the blankets. "No problem kid." He replied, heading towards the bathroom to change. Emerging in a pair of grey sweatpants and a white wife beater, he crawled in beside her. Shortly Marie was curled up against him, using his broad chest as a pillow. Looking down Logan smiled happy to be back were he belonged.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's note: Soooo sorry it's been so long since I've updated this. Disclaimer: Still don't own anything. Damn :(**

Several hours later Logan slowly woke, trying to remember why there was a warm something pressed against him. Opening his eyes he realized that Marie was still snuggled against him, in a position he'd heard referred to as "spooning". Another moment passed before he woke up enough to notice his arm was wrapped around her. Slowly he tried to move his arm, hoping to untangle himself without waking her.

He had almost succeeded before Marie gave a sleepy growl, quickly rolled over, and snuggled up to his chest again. *_Well damn._* Logan thought, quietly chuckling at her actions *_guess I ain't goin' nowhere now._* Resigned to his fate, he settled back into the bed, once more wrapping his arm around his bedmate.

As he lay there watching her, his mind drifted back to the conversation he'd had shortly before discovering Marie in his room…

_It was late when he came home, but then again it always was. The plan had been a quick stop in the kitchen before heading up to his room with a beer. Everything changed when he stepped across the threshold, eyes locked on the mutant before him._

_ "Good evening Logan." Normally he and Hank got along okay, provided he didn't have to visit the good doctor's lab. But this trip hadn't yielded as many answers as he'd liked, and so he only gave a short grunt in return._

_ The blue mutant understood that he wanted to be left alone, but there was no guarantee that he'd get another chance like this. "Have you ever heard the term 'soul mate'?" Such a blunt question was far out of style from his usual approached, but Hank had learned long ago that it was best to keep it short when it came to the Wolverine. _

_ Another grunt from the shorter man, who was now watching him as he nursed his beer. Taking that as affirmation, Beast continued. "Nowadays it is over used, mostly by the media who wish us to believe that…" A low growl interrupted him, "yes well, Plato posed that humans originally had four legs, four arms and a single head made of two faces. But Zeus feared their power and split them forever dooming mankind to seek out their other half."_

_ Tired of Hank's history lesson, Logan headed for the door. "You've found your other half Logan. Don't take that for granted."_

As he tried to go back to sleep, he sighed. If only they knew how much danger she was in. He'd known that there was something special about her the day she hitched a ride on his trailer. There were few on this planet who would be in the same room with him after seeing his claws. Even less would have the guts to stowaway and try to get a free ride from him.

But it wasn't until after Liberty Island that he realized how much affect she'd had on, not only him, but the Wolverine as well. When she confronted him about leaving, he'd handed over his dog tags without a thought, wanting her to have something to remember him by. At the time he was being realistic, a person like him sometimes didn't come back. But the deeper meaning hadn't been made clear until later. And it scared him.

The Wolverine had marked her as his own, and had left his dog tags as a warning to any other potential males while he was gone. That hadn't stopped that damn Icedick from trying to take his woman. But he'd made Marie happy, so the Wolverine had bided his time, knowing that the boy couldn't hold her attention for long. A low growl rumbled in his chest as he remembered what he hadn't considered.

The boy had grown bored when Marie hadn't returned his advances, and started sniffing around one of her friends instead. Both Logan and the Wolverine had celebrated when they'd broken up, and sneered at the kid's stupidity. It didn't take much imagination to find away around Marie's, then untouchable, skin. In fact, he'd thought of several ways…

Shaking his head with a jerk, he tried to send his thoughts down a different path. He shouldn't be thinking of Marie like that at all, much less when she was asleep pressed up against him. _"All soft and innocent and touchable." _The Wolverine practically purred, causing Logan to growl again.

Grumbling softly at all the growling, Marie sleepily glared at Logan. "'Nother naightmare?" She asked, her accent stronger now that she wasn't thinking about it.

"Nah. Just thinking about stuff." He replied, bending to kiss her forehead before he realized what he was doing.

The kiss shocked Marie as well, her eyes going wide before giving way to a huge yawn. It was something to deal with later, right now she wanted more sleep. "So no naightmare?" He shook his head, and so she snuggled back into the bed. "Then shuddup. Ya can be the big, bad, badass Wolverine later. Raight now yer mah teddy bear. And teddy bears don't growl."

Letting another soft growl rumble through his chest, he received a soft punch in the ribs as he settled back down beside her. Pulling her more firmly against his side, Logan smiled. He could get used to being Marie's teddy bear.

** Remember, reviews equal my next story. It's either Logan and Rogue spending some quality time in the Canadian Rockies, or a newcomer to the mansion who may just steal him away. Lemme know which you want first!**


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